Is Luigi‘s Mansion 3 Worth It? A Spooky Switch Must-Play

Luigi‘s Mansion 3 delivers hilarious ghost-hunting hijinks on the Nintendo Switch that fans of the series and fun co-op puzzles shouldn‘t miss. But is it a worthy sequel after a 15 year wait? Let‘s take a deeper dive on whether Luigi‘s Mansion 3 is worth picking up.

Introduction – Virtual Ghostbusters

Luigi‘s Mansion 3 continues the adventures of Mario‘s lanky ghost-hunting brother Luigi as he explores a haunted hotel to rescue his friends. After receiving an invitation to a luxury hotel stay, Luigi and friends quickly realize things are not what they seem, as the towering hotel is riddled with mischievous ghosts.

Armed with his handy Poltergust vacuum cleaner, players guide the easily-spooked Luigi through themed floors like dance clubs, museums, restaurants and more on his quest to capture ghosts, solve puzzles and rescue Mario and the rest of the gang.

With gorgeous graphics, hilarious personality, and clever co-op puzzles, Luigi‘s Mansion 3 evokes a fun virtual ghostbusters experience perfect for fans of all ages. Though the 10-15 hour campaign is on the shorter side, the charm of bustin‘ ghosts with Luigi and a friend is a delight from start to finish.

Key Info:

• Released: October 2019
• Platforms: Nintendo Switch (No online co-op)
• Price: $59.99
• Developer: Next Level Games
• Playtime: ~15 hrs main story, 25+ hrs for 100%

Pros

• Massive, beautiful environments to explore
• Satisfying vacuum combat
• Charming personality and design
• Fantastic physics-based puzzles
• Gooigi adds great co-op potential

Cons

• Story is pretty barebones
• No online co-op is a glaring omission
• Main campaign is on the shorter side
• Combat could be more challenging

Ratings & Reviews – Beloved by Fans and Critics

Luigi‘s Mansion 3 has seen wide critical acclaim, earning impressive review scores across the board. It sits at a 83 average on Metacritic and OpenCritic, with praise for its clever puzzles, charm, and spectacular visuals. Fans have also shown their love, with a 9.3 User Score on Metacritic at the time of writing. Let‘s look at how it stacks up to some other beloved Nintendo Switch exclusives:

With high review scores matching adoration from fans, Luigi‘s Mansion 3 stands tall among the Switch‘s top first party titles. The meta critic average of 83 is very impressive for a more niche franchise. And the 9.3 user score exceeds even those of Mario Odyssey and Smash Bros, which shows how much fans are connecting with the comfortingly familiar gameplay loop.

Gameplay – Virtual Ghostbusting Perfected

The core gameplay loop of bustin‘ ghosts returns with polish and smart additions. Like virtual ghostbusters, players use Luigi‘s vacuum and flashlight to stun ghosts before sucking them up to capture them. The ghosts come in fun varieties, like ones that dance away from the beam, fire projectiles, or hide in objects. It never gets old revealing invisible Boos hiding in the environment!

Boss ghosts are a highlight, with multi-phase battles that have you dodging attacks and looking for openings. Bosses like the Portrait Ghosts are vibrant and full of personality. I loved the Steinway piano ghost that required playing on his musical weakpoints!

Puzzles are perhaps the best part though. Luigi uses his vacuum, burst, and suction to manipulate objects in the environment. From carrying buckets of water to inflating balloons, the physics lead to all sorts of creative puzzles. It remains engaging without ever getting too difficult like some physics-games do.

The new Slam move that lets Luigi SLAM his vacuum down like a hammer is so satisfying to pull off. And Gooigi is a game-changer – the gooey doppelgänger lets you walk through spikes, slip through grates, and otherwise access new areas to solve dual character puzzles in single-player or co-op.

Art & Visuals – Spooky Eye-Candy

Simply put, Luigi‘s Mansion 3 is one of the best looking games on the Nintendo Switch. The environments are richly detailed, animations are lively and fluid, and the game‘s cohesive art direction brings its personality to life. Small touches like Luigi‘s nervous humming and shivering really sell his charm.

The hotel theme allows for visual variety across floors inspired by settings like castles, pyramids, dance clubs and more. I loved seeing how each floor integrated creative themes into the puzzles and architecture. One standout was the Paranormal Productions studio with its spooky movie sets.

The lighting also deserves praise – shadows dance dynamically as you wave the flashlight, creating a convincingly spooky atmosphere. If you own a Switch OLED, this game really shines on the expanded screen. It‘s clear why Luigi‘s Mansion 3 won the Visual Arts award at the 2020 D.I.C.E. Awards.

Atmospheric Audio Design

Matching the visual splendor is some equally stellar sound design. The ghosts‘ mischievous cackles and Luigi‘s startled yelps give life to the mansion. I adored small audio flourishes like the whistling tea kettle or Luigi‘s footsteps echoing down hallways.

The music deserves special praise, from the haunting piano melody on the title screen to the thumping dance beats of the Spectral Catch floor. Composers Chad York, Darren Radtke, and Mike Peacock crafted one of the catchiest Nintendo soundtracks ever. I found myself humming those spooky piano melodies long after playing thanks to the superb audio design.

Should You Be Afraid of the Dark? Difficulty and Length

Luigi‘s Mansion 3 should provide a fun, mildly spooky romp for most players without too much difficulty. The default settings offer accessible puzzles and combat for all ages. My seven year old god-daughter enjoyed vacuuming ghosts alongside me in co-op!

That said, players looking for hardcore brain teasers might find the five to ten hour main story on the easier side. Thankfully, finding all the hidden Boos and collectibles can nearly double the playtime. And the co-op ScareScraper mode offers lots of replayability with its randomized hotel floors.

For younger or more casual gamers, the accessibility options let you reduce how much damage Luigi takes. An optional hide-and-seek mode replaces ghosts with friendly ghosts, distilling the experience down to pure puzzle solving and exploration for kids.

So fear not – with various difficulty options, Luigi‘s Mansion 3 can prove frightfully fun for all players when customized to their scare tolerance!

Delightful Co-Op Marred by Lack of Online Play

Without a doubt, my favorite part of Luigi‘s Mansion 3 was playing local co-op with my daughter. She adored helping vacuum up ghosts and solve puzzles as Gooigi, especially flowing through grates as a gooey puddle. Having a second player made the clever physics puzzles even more delightful.

It’s a shame the game lacks online multiplayer. Exploring a creaky hotel with a friend is so much fun, so it’s an obvious missed opportunity. Games like Mario Odyssey excel thanks to online co-op, so it’s disappointing to be confined only to couch co-op. The randomized ScareScraper mode seems tailor made for replaying online.

Local wireless or couch co-op is still great fun. But not including online multiplayer in a major 2019 Nintendo release is a head-scratching omission, and the one major flaw holding the experience back.

Is the Hotel Story More Trick than Treat?

I won‘t claim the story is anything special – the hotel premise and ghost catching are merely fun contexts for puzzles. But the vibrant characters have undeniable charm. Luigi‘s cowardly sheepishness always makes me laugh and cheer him on.

The gluttonous ghost dog Polterpup is adorable, and I loved finding where he was hiding each level. Supporting characters like nerdy Professor E.Gadd have enjoyable banter with Luigi. Is the barebones story thrilling? No. But the character personalities provide enough motivation to see the adventure through.

Final Verdict – An Essential Switch Title

Without a doubt, I wholeheartedly recommend Luigi‘s Mansion 3 for Nintendo Switch owners. The superb physics puzzles, gorgeous visuals, and charming personality cement it as one of the system‘s standout exclusives. Exploring the hauntingly beautiful hotel remained engaging across all 15+ hours in my playthrough, including finding every hidden Boo and collectible.

The lack of online multiplayer is hugely disappointing, as whacking ghosts with a friend would be even more delightful online. But the always inventive puzzles and pleasure of virtually bustin‘ ghosts with Luigi (and Gooigi!) is worth the price of admission.

So turn on all the lights, grab a friend, and get ready for fun ghost-hunting hijinks. Luigi‘s Mansion 3 is a must-play title that proves the underdog Luigi can hold his own against his famous brother. This virtual ghostbusting delight haunted my dreams with its terrifically fun exploration and puzzles.